Always
by BellejanelleDearie
Summary: What if Andrew was in Coulson's place during the last scenes of 4x02. How would he have treated Melinda during that time? There is no Lash in this story.


Andrew had just left his office when he heard Phil talking with the new director. He halted at the mention of Melinda.

According to Phil, and apparently Agent Simmons, Melinda- or May as they called her- had been acting strange when they saw her a few hours ago.

Trying to look nonchalant Andrew took his time fumbling with the locks on his door.

"I'm worried about her. She seems…sick." Phil opened and closed his mouth, unsure how to continue.

"I'll take of it, Phil."

The words were meant to seem comforting, and perhaps to Phil they were. But Andrew knew better. He knew the new director was not as friendly as he seemed, and the thought of him " _taking care"_ of anything, especially Melinda, was enough to make his blood boil.

Andrew looked down to see his hand trembling. One of his keys had been digging into his palm; the other one threatened to snap while halfway lodged into the doorknob.

"Dr. Garner, "The director's eyes zeroed in Andrew immediately. "I see you're working hard, as usual. How have the studies been going lately?"

Not in the mood for small talk Andrew walked straight up to the men.

"What's wrong with Melinda? Where is she?"

The director prepared to answer, probably with some placating nonsense designed to dismiss him, when Phil spoke up instead.

"May' s been acting strange today. We think she might have been exposed to the same tech that spooked the father and son in Pasadena. It's not serious," He'd added as he noticed Andrew's panicked expression, "But, we think it would be best if we evaluate her keep her under examination, for just a few hours at most."

"With all due respect Phil, I don't think locking Melinda in a box would benefit anyone."

"We understand your concern, Dr. Garner, but Agent Coulson has orders." He shrugged his shoulders in a gesture designed to be sympathetic, and it turn only set the therapist more on edge.

"Just let me talk to her," he'd meant to sound pleading, but the words came out with a forceful edge. He took the director's momentary surprise as an opportunity to continue.

"Anyone you send to restrain or tranquillize her _will_ get hurt. All that will do is make Melinda angry and believe me, we do not want that. Let me talk to her instead, and if she does need to be non-lethally put to sleep I can do it gently and painlessly."

"And if she hurts you?" The director pressed.

"She won't", Phil replied. Andrew couldn't help but notice the hint of jealousy in his friend and colleague's voice.

The director cleared his throat.

"Okay then. Dr. Garner, I trust if it is doesn't go well between you and Agent May you will do what needs to be done?"

Andrew gave a silent nod while the director waved his assistant forward. The young woman carried a syringe filled with a metallic blue liquid; the same property Andrew believed was used in the icers.

"This is-", Phil began to explain.

"A last resort", breathed Andrew, eying the syringe with trepidation before placing it carefully into his lab coat pocket. He gave the other men a final nod as he went off to find his ex-wife.

He followed the sound of papers shuffling into the staff locker room. Melinda was frantically moving about, mumbling words to herself that Andrew couldn't quite make out.

"Melinda?"

Her head snapped towards him, eyes wild and unfocused. But underneath her hard stare was a look of pure terror that almost broke the therapist's heart.

The only time he'd ever seen her so afraid was Bahrain. Afterwards she just shut down.

He tried to make her laugh as much as he could after that, each time with varying degrees of success. Sometimes Andrew could still catch a hint of a smile creep across her features before she snapped back to attention.

And other times, when there were no missions, secrets, or near-death experiences…she would let go. Release that dazzling smile caged by ager and pain.

And there is nothing in this world more beautiful than Melinda May's smile. It was a smile so rare that not even her closest friends had been gifted with one. Perhaps Andrew was selfish for being glad about that fact.

When they were in Maui Andrew had told her she'd been smiling much more than she used to.

She had shaken her head and said earnestly, "No I don't. You're just the only one that cares enough to notice."

Now here she was, her hands trembling as they absentmindedly stuffed papers into a backpack.

"Melinda…", Andrew tried again. He stepped towards her slowly but not cautiously; he was here as Andrew, not Dr. Garner.

He wasn't afraid. He could never be afraid of Melinda- not in the way everyone else was.

Her voice was hardly above a whisper when she answered back: "Andrew?"

Then her gaze grew frantic again as her eyes swept the room and landed on nothing specific. "We need to make up a plan, we-we have to stop them, Andrew _!_ They're coming and they won't stop! They'll never stop…"

"Wait, Melinda, slow down. What's coming? Who won't stop? "Talk to me…please."

"We have to leave!"

The guards that had been silently sweeping the parameter began creeping their way to the door.

It looks like the director lied about letting them talk alone, thought Andrew bitterly. Without tipping Melinda off to their presence he twitched his right arm. It was a small gesture but enough to hold the guards at bay.

Lord knows they'll only make things worse. For Melinda as well as themselves.

At that moment Melinda looked into his eyes- or _through_ them, rather- and broke down into hysterics.

"We have to leave!", she cried again. "Please, Andrew, don't you understand? They'll never stop coming for us, we have to…we have to…"

Andrew closed the remaining gap between them. Slowly, as not to scare her, he took her face into his hands. Without even thinking his fingers began to trace gentle circles around both cheeks.

"I can't let them hurt you again…" her voice was down to whisper as tears escaped closed eyelids. She sounded more lucid, now, more of herself.

"Melinda? Honey, please tell me what's wrong..."

"I promise I will, just… listen to me. We aren't safe here, we _have to leave._ We can go back to Maui, finish our vacation…just trust me."

He could tell Melinda was making a pointed effort to calm herself down, put on the brave face of a warrior. But the words still came out rushed, desperate, and utterly and completely terrified.

"I just don't want to lose you again."

She leaned into his touch, and by instinct his arms pulled her into an embrace.

"I'm not going anywhere." He answered, his voice getting gruff with emotion. "You couldn't get rid of me if you tried, Melinda Qiaolian May."

He couldn't mistake the twitch of her lips as he said her middle name. If anyone else dared to speak her full name he knew she'd have been poised to kill. That and they would have butchered it completely.

They continued to stay in their embrace; she sobbing quietly and he holding her close in his arms.

Suddenly Melinda grew still.

When he looked down at her face again her eyes were hard.

"You don't believe me."

"Melinda…" Andrew replied in an agonized whisper.

She shoved him off with a fair amount of force, causing him to stumble a few feet backwards.

" _You don't believe me!"_ Her voice was full volume again, and this time the guards made no move to hide themselves as they stalked closer to the center of the room.

Tears of betrayal lined Melinda's eyelashes as she eyed them dangerously.

"You did this." She said without looking at him. It wasn't even a question.

"No. I asked the Director to let me talk to you on my own, and I thought he agreed, but..."

"The director?, Her eyebrow shot up suspiciously. "So everyone's close with him now, huh? Even you?"

The guards were starting to close in. Andrew tried to reach out one more time.

"I'm just worried about you-"

"So he sent you here for a therapy session, then? Is that what you're here for, _Dr. Garner?"_

It took all of Andrew's efforts to blink back tears. Seeing her so scared and confused nearly broke him in two.

"No…I've only ever here been for you, Melinda. Only for you, honey."

Her chin wobbled and looked like she was about to say something before the director sauntered in, smug and confident as usual. The couple turned their attention to the back of the room, both glaring daggers as the director made his way over.

"Melinda May, you have three seconds to stand down-"

"Or what", she challenged, immediately back on edge.

Andrew could see where this was going and tried to diffuse the situation.

"Director, if we could just have a few more minutes-"

"Sorry, Dr. Garner" he interrupted with that damned annoying voice of his, "You tried your therapy, now it's time to try mine."

"No!"

But before Andrew could finish crying out Melinda charged at the two closest guards, taking them both out easily. Others followed, and none were able to knock Melinda off her feet. After she'd finished slamming the last standing guard into the mat the director began striding forward.

"Stop!"

He stepped between them, standing protectively over Melinda.

Physically speaking he knew there was nothing he could do to restrain either of them, but he knew the director was an inhuman, and a rather sadistic one at that. The other man, however, did not know the therapist knew his true identity so he halted.

"Dr. Garner I know you two have a complicated history and I definitely don't want to get in the way of that –"

"- Then let me speak," he cleared his throat and turned around to face Melinda, who continued to glower darkly at the director.

Realization touched her features once she looked at him again. Her eyes swept room in terror like she was really seeing things for the first time.

"What's wrong with me Andrew?"

He tried to smile but it didn't quite touch his eyes- perhaps because they were swimming with tears.

"I don't know." He said honestly. "Whatever it is though, we can handle it."

She nodded slowly, still clearly in shock.

"We've been through worse."

It was at that moment the director decided to rush Melinda from the side, slamming her forcefully onto the mat.

"Hey!" Andrew tried to pry him off, but due to his Inhuman strength it was a wasted effort. Melinda continued to struggle under his weight.

"Now's your chance, Garner!"

"I told you not to hurt her!"

"Actually", the director shifted his weight so that he only restrained her arms and legs.

"You suggested it and I was skeptical, and well, not to seem like I'm bragging but it seems that plan worked out about as much as I thought it would. You can give her the serum, though, if you like."

As soon as her head was released she was preparing herslef for a head butt.

"Melinda, don't! He's an inhuman, you'll hurt yourself."

She glowered. Whether it was shock, suspicion, or plain irritation Andrew didn't know, but Melinda seemed to make no moves to keep fighting.

"What serum, Andrew?"

"It's the same substance you guys use in the icers. Will you let me inject it into your system?"

Melinda eyed the director distrustfully. She was trying to sound indifferent but Andrew had always seen behind her mask of stoicism.

"Will you stay will me?"

Andrew's breath caught in his throat as he nodded.

"Always."


End file.
